Hair Design by Hanes

Well, ok, the website didn’t actually speak to me, obviously. But it didn’t have to. A picture is worth a thousand words.

If you aren’t familiar with Pinterest, you probably will be at some point in the very near future. It’s a virtual bulletin board that allows you to categorize and save things you’d like to refer back to at some later date. Others can view your boards and “repin” your items to their boards as well. You can choose to follow categories such as fashion, food, hairstyles, projects, and infinite other options.

And by doing so, you are inviting feelings of inadequacy into your life.

After all, there are women out there that use food coloring to dye spaghetti to make it more kid-friendly for picky eaters. And those who use personal photographs to make their own envelopes for their Christmas cards. I’ve seen women who make their own Magic Erasers and Modge Podge to save the cost of buying them at the store, and instructions for making your own glitter. My favorite was a tutorial on using a straw and a lighter to create single-use “pouches” for ointments so you don’t have to carry the entire Neosporin tube in your travels. (Perfect! Packing will be so much easier now that I don’t have that bulky tube to pack!)

In fairness, I adore the site. I have found some really cool ideas, like how to make furniture from pallets (although I’m hesitant to share the fascination for fear I’ll never find another discarded pallet again.) And organization tips, decorating ideas, and motivational images to keep my workouts on track.

But I can’t help but feel I’m doing something wrong. After all, if there are women out there who have figured out how to add gorgeous waves to their hair using only a tube sock and spray bottle, I’m clearly not measuring up.

And lest you think I’m being sexist, you should know that there are hints for men as well. But in my experience , the men who are spending an afternoon making do-it-yourself Swiffer covers are probably few and far between. (Although there are instructions for how to turn Corona and other cool bottles into glasses.)

But just when I thought there was no hope left for me, I saw proof that there may be others like me. It came in the form of a “Heat and Serve” Manwich container in the grocery store. Which I’m left to infer is a quicker way to have Manwich for a meal. And given that Manwich involves ground beef, a can and a bun, I’m guessing that I’m not the only one short on time. So it’s good to know I’m not the only parent who doesn’t “bedazzle” food so my kids will eat.

Like so many other things in my life, I have learned a lesson from this experience, which is that I will NOT get roped into comparing my abilities as a mother and wife to those of other women. I will use what I can, discard what I can’t, and share good ideas when I find them. I will realize that we are all in different stages in life, and some of us have more free time than others. Most importantly, I will realize that someday I’ll long for the days when I was busy with my kids.

But even when that day comes, I will never, ever use pipe cleaners and googly eyes to turn a 6-pack into Rein-Beer. You have my word.